


the dragon, the pyromancer, and the normal girl

by Sexytrash



Category: Original Work
Genre: Based On a D&D Game, D&D, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, i actually dont know much about it execpt that you can be a dragon, ill add tags as the story progresses, like serious traumatic events, that we only played for a week, unless its vital for the characters to know about it, unless there is a legit reason ill try to keep the explicit stuff out of this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 05:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sexytrash/pseuds/Sexytrash
Summary: three unlikely companions are forced into a journey none wished to experience, especially not with each other! yet as they grow beside one another and learn about those around them, they find that this new found family is far more important- and unique than the world has ever seen, bringing to light a prophecy of a new age of equality.





	the dragon, the pyromancer, and the normal girl

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fic i wrote using the characters from a friends dnd campaign! the title is a work in progress, i know it sounds cheesy. i only write this (and edit this) when i dont want to sleep and its five am. please stop me lmao. im really proud of this, but of course there are always things to work on! i started out third person omnipresent but i shifted to third person limited but in two povs at the same time so that might read a little akward. sorry. if you see anything else to work on, let me know!

The woods were darker than Mason has seen in quite some time. Even with his fire, he felt unnerved, like there was something just outside his field of vision, waiting. Mason wished Aiofe was awake. She was always a good person to turn to if your nerves were too much to handle. Her calm exterior always bled through to even the most panicked person. All he had right now was… Celaena. She wasn’t _bad,_ per say, but they never really got along too well, not since their first meeting. The fact that she was willing to get arrested just so she could antagonize a random guy… Mason honestly didn’t know what to think of her. She was brash, crude, and frankly, really rude. She had her soft spots, like when they almost- _almost-_ bonded in the prison cell, but overall, he and she mixed about as well as oil and water.

“Hey, what’re you doing up? You should get some sleep, kid.” Ah, there she was. Celaena had offered to collect firewood, as Mason needed to build a fire as soon as they were able to rest, and Aoife didn’t really do well in the forest, growing up in the industrial country, and all. Mason growled at the use of _kid._ How many times did he have to tell her that he was _older_ than her? But she said nothing else, just quietly started arranging the wood so that they could use it in the most efficient way. Celaena had started acting weird after their second day of being on their own, slowly losing bite in her insults, becoming more withdrawn, becoming, softer. Not nicer, but definitely softer. It was odd, but Aoife didn’t seem to notice, so Mason didn’t bring it up. And while Mason didn’t really _care,_ he wasn’t so petty to let someone suffer in silence.

“Can’t. Too… on edge. I feel… something out there. Besides, you look exhausted as well. You haven’t been acting like yourself lately, and if were to kill this Lich King dude, we can’t have you passing out, now can we?” the noise startled Celaena, making her jump. She wasn’t expecting Mason to respond seriously, let alone notice her transition, she tried to make it as smooth as possible over the course of the five days the group spent searching for clues about their quest.

“I feel it too. You can rest assured, though, it won’t come near us. As for me… I just don’t have the energy to keep lying. It's very taxing. I can only pretend to be someone I’m not for so long.” Mason gave her a confused glance, so she sighed and continued. “I live in the woods. So human interaction happens once in a while, but most tend to end badly. So when I go to town I pretend to be either the pretty, young girl or the cold, hardened girl you met a few days ago. When I act like that, it’s just easier to be around humans. But I can’t lie forever. So. I guess Y'all are going to be stuck with this mess for a while.” Celaena gestured to herself with a hand.

“But you are right, I suppose. I should get some sleep. You can too, but it’s your choice.” She stood up, stretching her arms. She was wearing a tank top, something Mason has once assumed she would never have been caught in until today, as well as some tattered old shorts. It seemed very odd that someone like Celaena would be wearing those as a willing choice, but given that she spent her life in the woods, it probably was fine. It _was_ summer, after all. It was hot as balls in the region. Aoife was also dressed in lightweight clothing, although they covered her entire body, while Mason stuck with regular pants and a  shirtless torso combo. And besides, apparently, she had been faking her personality this whole time. He waited a few moments, watching Celaena settle down before casting a spell to prevent the fire from spreading, and he too, laid down, hoping she was right about that thing not coming near them. Mason soon slipped into a dreamless sleep, jolting awake at the slightest Noise louder than a whisper.

 

Celaena, however, had terrible dreams. She dreamed of the first village that found out her secret, she dreamed of screams and blood. She felt the hands on her, the rough treatment from the ones she called dear. She heard the whispers, telling her everything she already knew.

_She did not deserve to live, nor should she have ever existed._

Although she tossed and turned all night, she never screamed, as much as she wanted to. Screaming meant punishment, and punishment hurt and _what if someone heard and came looking for the scream and tried to hurt herwhatif_

She felt warm, gentle hands ( _goodgoodgood)_ on her shoulder ( _notsogood)_ softly shake her awake ( _thankyouthankyou)._ She opened her eyes and slowly rose to see what was happening. Mason squatted there, an unreadable expression on his face. She frowned, noticing that the sun was already almost up. Why didn’t she wake up before? Aoife was still sleeping, snuggled in her quilt. Celaena lamented that they couldn’t sleep in beds, as Aoife looked pretty uncomfortable.

“You okay? You were whimpering”Mason's face was like stone, and Celaena’s heart dropped. She thought last night counted as a bonding moment? What happened? Unless… Was he hungry? People who are used to eating a lot get upset when they don't have food, right? Celaena hoped that was the case. The trip to the Lich King they were hunting took longer than expected, so their rations ran out a day ago. They hadn’t eaten for a while. As much as she protested the humans, she desperately wanted them to like her. But Masons face… it took everything she has not to curl up into a ball on the spot.

“Sorry. Nightmare” her stomach growled Right then. “Right. Breakfast. I’m starved. What are you in the mood for? I’m pretty sure we ate all of our rations, so I can hunt for something.” She looked at Mason, whose mood seemed to have gotten worse. “Do you-“ She was violently cut off by Mason, who was straining his voice to stay quiet, probably for Aiofe benefit.

“Celaena I’m trying to freak out and lose my shit but what the _fuck_ is that? The fuck are _those?”_ Mason gestured to Celaena’s shoulder, then to her entire back. Overnight, she assumed, while she was tossing and turning, her tank top had risen up, exposing her bare skin. Celaena didn’t see a problem until she saw a dull flash of blue and a bright flash right next to it. _Oh, that’s what he meant_. Celaena paused, blinked a few times and slightly scoffed.

“What do you mean, they’re exactly what they look like. Jeez, I thought something was on me.” She shook her head and sighed.

“You have fuck-“ Mason paused and looked at Aiofe. He was getting louder. He quieted back down to a whisper. “ you have _fucking_ scales! Are you a –“

“They’re just tattoos. Gods, Mason. I knew someone who died a long time ago. The tattoos are for them. It’s nothing.” This wasn’t a lie, of course, Celaena was terrible at lying short term. She _had_ gotten tattoos for her friend who died, but that wasn’t what Mason was talking about. “Now are you done? Or do you want to accuse me of being a goddess next?” She snapped. It was easy to slip back into her hardened persona, something she learned to do on the fly. Sure she couldn’t _lie_ very well, but that was only as herself. If she played the part of someone – someone better than herself in every way- then the lies came easier. As if it truly were a different person. She told Mason that she used two personas. That was a lie she got away with. She had multiple people she could use at her disposal. She was using one right now.

“You should have said something earlier then.” Mason shook his head, expression softening “I thought you were one of those… things. If I had known… well, I’m sorry. And breakfast sounds great. What can you hunt?” he still seemed on guard, probably sensing her false self, but he was calmer nonetheless.

“I can hunt nearly anything in these woods. Do you have a preferred game?” Mason shook his head. if he could eat raw dog, surely he could eat anything she killed! “Alright. I’ll find a few squirrels. Go wake Aoife up, see what she wants.” She nodded off to the still sleeping girl. Mason got up and walked over to her. Celaena sighed out of relief. She needed some time to calm her breathing down. _That was so fucking close_. They couldn’t find out she was a halfbreed. They would kill her, or worse, take her scales and sell them, keeping her alive just so she could produce more scales.

She was lucky she escaped last time, she didn’t think she could do it again.

Aoife grumbled before sitting up, running her eyes. She seemed to be talking to Mason, although he seemed confused by what she said. After a few seconds, Mason jogged back to Celaena, who was gathering her hunting gear.

“She said that didn’t eat animals. So what are we going to do?” Mason was a city boy at heart, as survivalist as he tried to pretend he was, the woods scared him. There was too much to burn, too much wood calling him to burn it. It was unsettling, how he was nervous about his power.

“I’ll gather some nuts and berries. It’ll take a while though, they aren’t usually enough to fill someone up on a small amount. Besides, I’ve been meaning to restock my plant pouch,” she motioned to a hemp bag on her belt, “with that New book I found, I’ll be able to make so much more, but I’ll need the right ingredients, for example, if you use-“

“Just go, you freak. We can wait. Besides, we’ve been needing to do an inventory check. We can have a rest day. Give you all day to stick up on food, and we can man camp.” Mason cut Celaena off with a huff. He was hungry for fuck's sake! He wasn’t going to mention it to anyone, because he _had_ gone through longer starvation periods, but he expected Celaena to be as hungry as he was! Two days without food was hard! And she was talking about plants!

“Alright… I’ll see you guys at sunset then.” And she was off, into the dark woods. Mason was glad he didn’t have to go with her, he still felt the presence of that creature from last night. He hoped Celaena didn’t meet it. She was his source of food, after all.

He decided she would be fine. Mason turned to Aoife. “There’s something I need to tell you…”

 

Celaena came back, holding a larger amount of game than expected. She figured they could eat their fill, and then smoke the rest. Mason looked her hunt over, wondering where Aoife’s food was. But then he saw the pouch, about as big as a fist. Mason knew that couldn’t possibly be enough for a meal, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t think Celaena would let Aoife starve.

“Oh, hey guys!” Celaena glanced at the two, who were sitting beside the still burning fire, talking quietly. Mason looked disgruntled at her presence, but that was expected. Aoife, however, looked scared. _Shit. Did he- no. fuck. He did, didn’t he? FUCK!_ Mason told Aoife about the scales. Shit! _Don’t let them know you’re panicking. You are a calm, easygoing hunter who just came back from a great hunt._

“I hunted a little extra, I hope that’s okay, prey was plentiful, and I figured we could preserve some meat so that we don’t have to kill something every time we get hungry.” She slung the animals down on to the ground near the fire. “Aoife, I know you're probably really hungry, but I’m afraid I can’t really prepare anything until after I’ve skinned and started to cook-“ 

“I can do that.” Mason had worked at a butchers shop for about a year before, he did that type of stuff all day. He could probably skin these animals properly. probably. He didn’t tell Celaena that.

Celaena visibly relaxed, making Mason feel a little guilty about the way he treated her this morning. Now they wouldn’t be able to work together, right? The two had shared just enough to make any interaction personal, but with Mason’s panicked reaction earlier, he figured their relationship was gone out the window.  Why did he have to accuse her of being a halfbreed?  He should have waited until he had proof,  other than those “scales”. The tattoo was a popular design, dawned by brave people who knew (or were) a follower of the Dragon God.  Why didn’t he just think?!

Celaena and Aoife huddled in a corner,  away from Mason.  Celaena didn’t want to admit, but she was scared she was about to lose the only two people she spent a large period of time without wanting to kill herself.  _Focus girl, help your friends first,  pity yourself later._  

“Alright, this is a spell to elongate your meals.” Celaena started, “This can be used in many ways, depending on the articulation and wording. You,  being vegetarian, will want the spell to increase the filling of the stomach. You could use the enlargement of your food,  but as these are nuts and berries, I don’t think that would be wise. Honestly,  you should have said something about your eating habits earlier.  We could have collected food before,  not that I’m trying to be rude or anything but”

“Celaena,” Aoife spoke very little since she left town,  possibly from being used to all the city life (she had never left her industrial city before) but her few words could do wonders on Celaena

“Right.  Spell sorry.  There’s just a lot in my mind, and when I get nervous I ramble,  probably because I used to talk to myself so, I, could at least hear something other than the silent forest-“ she was cut off once more while she started to grab her supplies

“Mason told me about your…  tattoo.”

She dropped her pot _Oh._

“Oh”

“He says he feels awful about accusing you like that.  He felt stressed at the moment,  because, well, if you were a halfbreed,  that put us at risk too, and his mo- well, he panicked because of the what-ifs he didn’t think about the what now’s.  You know?” This was the first thing longer than a simple sentence Aoife had muttered. Celaena felt proud of her for talking,  despite the topic they were talking about. She flipped her spell book to the page she needed and began to show Aoife the steps to perform the spell.

“Mason also told me that as much as he wants to believe you, he doesn’t think those are tattoos.  I told him they might be, they might not be, but scales or not,  you would still be you. And you are a good person,  whether you know it or not. He calmed down after that.” Aoife fiddled with some leaves before throwing them in the small pot.  “We spent the day talking about you. About how we felt and our impressions on you. It wasn’t bad. I think we both like you more than we should. I know I do. Mason tries not to, but I think that’s because he’s trying to protect himself. But um… yea.” Aoife trailed off, seemingly embarrassed. Watched as Celaena stirred the pot while adding the nuts and berried into the mixture. When Aoife looked into the pot, she was pleasantly surprised to find a nice welcoming dark blue liquid, with a heavenly aroma, _gods she was hungry_. She glanced at Mason and saw that he was done with the one deer, and started cooking it for himself and Celaena. They’d get to eat tonight too, it seemed.

Celaena handed Aoife a slip of paper.

“It’s the spell. So you can do it If I’m not around, or something.” She was looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Honestly, Celaena just wanted the day to be over so she could sleep her embarrassment away and pretend like today never happened. Celaena got up and made her way to the campfire, with Aoife and her concoction trailing behind.

“Celaena? One last thing.” Celaena turned around. “we don’t care if you have scales. But we also don’t care if you have tattoos. As long as you take care of yourself,  we are fine with your choices. Like how we tolerate Mason burning himself. Like you guys tolerating my mutism up till now. That’s all I wanted to say.  And thanks for the spell.” Aoife slipped passed a dumbstruck Celaena and sat next to Mason. Celaena was left in shock. Did she just admit to knowing? Should she leave? Slowly she made her way to the campfire,  although she sat at the opposite side of the two friends.

The meal was eaten in silence, Aoife and Mason whispering, while Celaena contemplated on what her next move would be.  Eventually, though, she knew she would have to confront them.  That is- if she stayed with the group.

“they’re just tattoos,  guys.  That’s all they are.” She announced.

She didn’t even try to sound convincing.

 

She was never good at lying.


End file.
